SERAPHINA'S POV
"I only wanted to make sure you're safe, Lucas," I said, my voice quieter now, steadier than I felt. "With everything that just happened… I thought it would be better if I stayed close to you for a while."
He slowed, then stopped, not abruptly, not with surprise, but with intention. Slowly, he turned his head, his gaze settling on me in a way that felt less like concern and more like quiet assessment, as though he were measuring whether my presence was useful or inconvenient.
"You should go," he said at last, his tone calm but edged with dismissal. "Run along."
"I won't," I replied, firmer this time, even as something tightened in my chest. "I need to be here."
That made him pause properly. A brief silence stretched between us, deliberate and heavy, before he exhaled through his nose as though making a decision.
"…Fine," he said. "But understand something before you take another step.if you insist, I will not hesitate further"
